Surface cattle-guard



(No Model.)

B. WOLHAUPTER] SURFACE CATTLE GUARD.

N0. 553,882. r Patented Feb. 4, 1896.

ATTORNEY.

ANDREW BJERAHAM. PHOTULFI'HQWASHINEIOK Di- NITED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

BENJAMIN IVOLHAUPTER, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

SURFACE CATTLE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,882, dated February 4, 1896.

Application filed April 26,1892. Serial No. 430,681. (No model.) 7

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN WOLHAUP- TER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Oak Park, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Surface Cattle-Guards; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section of the track-rails and my guard. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of one of the guard-rails, showing a variation. Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 show cross-sections of various forms of crossbars that may be used. Fig. 8 illustrates a different arrangement of the guard rails. Fig. 9 shows the chamfered end of the guardrail. Figs. 10 and 11 show two different forms of guard-rails that might be employed. Fig.

12 shows a guard-plate at the end of the guardrail.

In carrying out my invention, Arepresents the track-rails and B the guard-rails of my guard. These guard-rails are made of strips or bars of metal bent to the shape in crosssection shown in Fig. 1, with the horizontal bottom portion 17 and the flanges b 11 extendin g upward therefrom at an obtuse angle. The flange b is considerably wider than flange b 0 are the cross-bars placed at desired intervals, to which the guardrails are engaged. These cross-bars may be of any desired shape in cross-section. The best form is perhaps an angle-iron, as shown in Fig. 4. Then this form is used the horizontal portion of the guard-rail and the lower portion of the flanges b b are provided with openings or slots 17 through which the angle-iron may be passed. In mounting the guard a block D is bolted or riveted to the end of each cross-bar. A guard rail is then slipped on and abuts against the block. Another rail is then slipped on and the side of the flange I) brought against the edge of the flange b on the first rail, and so on until the guard is completed. Each flange 11 thus forms a support for the flange I) of the'adjacent rail. A simple, strong and effective guard is thus produced. The flange I) being supported by the flange b eannot be flattened down and out of shape so easily and all spacing-blocks and similar parts are done away with.

The guard can be quickly mounted or taken to pieces for repair and is thoroughly effective.

If desired, teeth b may be stamped out or thrown up from the bottom portion 1), thus providing an additional means of preventing animals from crossing and at the same time providing orifices through which the water may run and be drained from the guard-bars. InFig. 3 I have shown the lower portion of the guard-rails with the corners rounded. This rail would be mounted in the same manner as that shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a different manner of arranging the guard-rails-that is, in stead of having all the flanges b b inclined in one direction the position of those on one side is reversed and a central guard-rail B having two flanges B of equal length supports the middle guard-rails.

In Figs. 10 and 11 Ihave illustrated a structure in which the guard-rails are engaged to the cross-bar in the same manner, but in which instead of each rail supporting the adjacent one there are intermediate supporting plates or blocks. In Fig. 10 the supporting-rail E is engaged to the cross-bar in a manner similar to the guard-railsthat is, there isan oriflce or recess in the lower portion of the guard-rail through which the cross-bar is passed. The supporting-rail has two flanges E of equal length, against which the flanges F of the guard-rail rest and are supported. In Fig. 11 the guard-rails are a different shape in cr0ss-section, having the horizontal portion g, the inclined portions g, and the upright portions 9 They are engaged to the cross-bar in the same manner as in the pre vious construction-that is, by passing the crossbar through a recess in the bottom portion. The guard-bars in this case are supported and spaced by blocks H, which are slipped onto the cross-bar between the guardrails.

In the construction shown in Fig. 10 I have shown the teeth J struck up from the bottom portion of the rail, thus providing an additional safeguard against cattle and at the same time providing an opening through which water and the like may be drained from the guard-rails. These teeth are of course applicable to any form of guardrail.

The various forms that are herein shown are all equivalents so far as the manner of engaging the guard-rails to the cross-bars is concerned.

In Figs. 9 and 12 I have illustrated two ways of engaging the ends of the guard-rails to the ties and at the same time so arranging the guard-rails that anything dragging from the train will not catch. In Fig. 9 the end of the rail is beveled or chamfered, as at If, and the horizontal portion provided with an orifice 0 whereby the rail may be spiked to the tie. 'hile I have shown both flanges beveled, yet the narrower flange might be shortened somewhat and thus have only the wider flange project at the end, and by bevel ing this the same result would be obtained. In Fig. 12 there is provided an end piece or shield K, of an inverted-V shape in crosssection, which is spiked to the ties. The horizontal portion Z) is extended into an opening in the inclined face of the shield-piece.

\Vhat I claim is 1. A railway cattle-guard consisting of a series of guard-rails arranged substantially parallel with and adjacent to each other, a portion of each guard-rail acting as a support for the adjacent rail, said guard-rails held in place by cross-bars passed through recesses in the lower edge of the guard-rail substantially as described.

2. A railway cattle-guard consisting of a series of inclined guard-rails arranged substantially parallel with and adjacent to each other, the upwardly-projecting flange of each rail bearing on and being supported by the adjacent rail, said guardrails held in place by cross-bars passed through recesses in the lower edge of the guard-rail substantially as described.

3. A railway cattle-guard consisting of a series of guard-rails each having two upwardly-projecting flanges one wider than the other, the narrower flange 011 each rail acting as a support for the wider flange 0f the adjacent rail, said rails held in place by crossbars passed through recesses in the lower edge of the guard-rail substantially as described.

4. A railway cattle-guard consisting of a series of guard-rails each having two upwardly projecting and inclined flanges one being wider than the other, the wider flange of each rail bearing against and being supported by the narrower flange of the adjacent rail, said guard-rails held in place by crossbars passed through recesses in the lower edge of the guard-rail substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN IVOLIIAUPTER.

Vitnesses:

W. II. CHAMBERLIN, GEORGE Hansen. 

